The word "diatribe" traces its origins back to ancient Greece.  It comes from the Greek word diatribe, meaning "pastime, study, or discourse."  This in turn, derives from diatribein, which means "to thoroughly wear away" or "to spend time."   The modern sense of a bitter, abusive attack developed over time, possibly from the idea of a long, exhausting discourse that "wears away" the listener.  The word entered English through Latin and French, with the  French disatribe already carrying the ssense of invasive, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.  

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word "diatribe" was first used in English in the late 1500s, specifically in the year 1581. The OED's earliest evidence for its use comes from a translation by James Bell. 

Examples of "diatribe" used in English: 
"Our manager privately subjected a few of us to a lengthy diatribe about how terrible the company's new policy is." 
"I'd prefer a reasoned argument to the diatribes that typically litter the newspaper's editorial page." 
"He launched into a long diatribe against the lack of action in Congress." 
"A few years later I took my revenge by writing a diatribe against presentiments." 
"I won't bother repeating his words, suffice to say they are the usual offensive diatribe."
"Somewhat rambling diatribe against the education offered by Balliol as being unsuitable for today's young men. [8] H. Fairbrother to BJ."